Health Board selects Yolanda Fong to serve as next Kitsap Public Health District administrator

Fong will replace Keith Grellner, who is retiring from the Health District at the end of December. 

KITSAP COUNTY, WA  — The Kitsap Public Health Board has selected Kitsap Public Health District Community Health Director Yolanda Fong to serve as the agency's next administrator. 

Fong will replace Administrator Keith Grellner, who is retiring from the Health District at the end of December after 34 years of service. As administrator, Fong will be responsible for developing and implementing the District’s annual budget and overseeing District operations, in collaboration with Health Officer Dr. Gib Morrow.

The Health Board approved Fong's contract at its Nov. 7 meeting, following a three-month recruitment process.

"I believe Yolanda is ideally suited to lead the Health District into the future," said Kitsap Public Health Board Chair and Poulsbo Mayor Becky Erickson. "Her experience in public health leadership and intimate knowledge of our Health District and community will serve Kitsap residents well."

"We are also grateful to Keith for his many years of steady and thoughtful leadership," Erickson added. "Kitsap County is a healthier place because of his service."

LEADERSHIP EXPERIENCE AND COMMUNITY FOCUS 

Fong joined the Health District's Parent-Child Health Program in 2008 as a public health nurse. She was promoted to assistant director for the District's Community Health Division in 2017 and director in 2019. As a member of the executive leadership team, she oversees programs focused on chronic disease and injury prevention, communicable disease, immunization, HIV case management, and parent and child health. Fong played a pivotal leadership role in the District's response to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

"It’s an exciting time to step into this role and I look forward to collaborating with the Health Board, our amazing Health District employees, and the community as we work to make Kitsap County a safe and healthy place for all," Fong said. "Transitions can be challenging, but they provide an opportunity to build on past successes while adapting to meet emerging needs."

Outside the Health District, Fong has nurtured deep community connections. She has served as a board member for Peninsula Community Health Services and the Bremerton Farmers Market and is currently a member of the Kitsap Professional Leaders of Color steering committee and the state Public Health Advisory Board. She was a Kitsap County 20 Under 40 recipient in 2016 and received an Emerging Public Health Leader Award from the Washington State Public Health Association in 2011.  

Fong holds a bachelor's degree and master's degree in nursing from the University of Washington, Tacoma. She has taught as an adjunct faculty member for the Olympic College Nursing Program, where she earned her associate degree in 2004. She currently serves as a faculty facilitator for the Northwest Public Health and Primary Care Leadership Institute in Seattle. 

ABOUT KITSAP PUBLIC HEALTH DISTRICT

The Kitsap Public Health District prevents disease and protects and promotes the health of all people in Kitsap County. Established in 1947, the Health District serves the unincorporated county and the cities of Bainbridge Island, Bremerton, Port Orchard and Poulsbo. 

The Health District's work is guided by the 10-member Kitsap Public Health Board composed of city and county elected officials, community representatives, and representatives of the Port Gamble S'Klallam and Suquamish tribes. A board-appointed health officer and administrator oversee Health District operations, leading a diverse team of more than 120 public health professionals. 

In 2015, Kitsap Public Health became one of the first public health agencies in the state to be accredited by the Public Health Accreditation Board.